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"It is modern, streamlined, high-tech, unbeaten in any conflict since Endor. It has liberated the galaxy from the worst tyranny in known history, and is capable of handling any threat that the New Republic could imagine."

The New Republic military's early organization emphasised flexibility, largely owing to the disparate collection of heterogeneous units that had comprised the earlier Alliance Military. Naval battle groups were designed so they could be shifted rapidly within the four main fleets and area commands as required while planetary assault became the most common mission profile. The Alliance Special Forces were reorganized as bridgehead commandos while a larger New Republic Army was created for peacekeeping and garrison duties. Integration and standardisation proceeded apace after 8 ABY and the defeat of Warlord Zsinj, with a more serious military reform in 12 ABY after the defeat of the Dark Empire, with all federal military forces coming under the control of the four main fleet commands as part of a fully-integrated Defense Force. This period saw the abolition of the New Republic Army, with its defensive responsibilities shifted to the Planetary Security Forces and the role of planetary assault taken by the New Republic Marines. In the New Republic Defense Fleet, battle groups became subcommands with defined sectors, with larger forces blockading the main Imperial holdouts and smaller squadrons assigned to peacekeeping patrols inside New Republic territory.[2]

After the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the former Rebellion's military consisted primarily of donated starships converted to military duty, volunteer resistance force fleets, and a small number of vessels purchased with limited Rebel Alliance funds, headed by AdmiralAckbar. As the Rebel Alliance reformed into the Alliance of Free Planets, and one month later, the New Republic, Ackbar worked to forge his forces into a centralized military that could accomplish the Provisional Council's primary goal: the capture of Coruscant and the liberation of the galaxy from Galactic Empire. A decisive moment was Mon Mothma's issue of the Defense Declarations, which proclaimed the New Republic's intent to devolve control of the Planetary Security Forces, nationalized by the Empire, back to the sectors. Admiral Ackbar would later describe the Declarations as more decisive in delivering worlds from the Empire than any military campaign: members of the new government would be expected to support the common military, but could also now control their own planetary defense forces and at greater strength than under the Empire or the Republic. Imperial loyalist sectors dismissed the measure as illegal, but for others the Declarations caused many sectors that had been on the edge to side with the New Republic. Other sectors divided over whether to accept the Declarations, fomenting further Imperial warlordism and infighting and significantly reducing the number of enemies the New Republic had to fight.[2][3][4]

Ostensibly it was during this period that the navy began to organize into battle groups. Each of the four fleets now consisted of hundreds of warships, transports, and support vessels organized into battle groups and task forces, in addition to ground troop divisions and starfighter wings. These fleets patrolled segments of the New Republic on a rotating basis, with at least one always assigned to defending Coruscant and another assigned to patrolling "Thunder Alley". Prior to 16 ABY, four fleets existed to fulfil this function.

In the nine years following the reorganization of the fleet, the variety of vessels that comprised the Defense Fleet grew; starships from hundreds of shipyards across New Republic space made up the frontline, support and civilian vessels of the Fleet. The resulting inefficiencies of this diversity prompted a program to streamline the Fleet's ships and increase maintenance efficiency. This program, named New Class, offered the Fleet a new level of standardization, power and flexibility previously enjoyed by the Imperial Starfleet. By 16 ABY, a new battle group, the Fifth Battle Group constructed wholly of New Class starships completed its proving missions and demonstrated the success of the program in the Black Fleet Crisis.

However, the Fleet's battle groups were designed as response forces and, despite the concerns of some politicians during the launch of the Fifth Battle Group, not a tool of conquest. Thus, the Fleet was woefully unprepared to launch counteroffensives against the Yuuzhan Vong in the early stages of the Yuuzhan Vong War, and once again had to rely on its talented commanders to achieve victories. Unfortunately, the New Republic Senate kept withdrawing fleets to the Core Worlds, effectively forcing the Defense Force to sacrifice the Mid and Outer Rim. The Defense Force suffered serious defeats due to the political leadership, draining morale and resources, and members of the Defense Force came close to mutiny.

The Defense Forces were built around four main fleets and area commands, derived from the four original fleets that had conducted the advance on Coruscant from 4 to 6 ABY. Early organization emphasized flexibility, with pre-existing squadrons and flotillas from the old Alliance Fleet remaining intact and local loyalties being taken into account. Battle groups were designed so they could be shifted within the four main fleets as required or if necessary deployed independently, such as the Solo Fleet deployed against WarlordZsinj.[2]

As the New Republic grew, Admiral Ackbar was faced with the challenge of creating a unified Defense Force out of the disparate units that had comprised the Rebel Alliance's Sector Forces, which had contrasting regulations, tactics and traditions. To achieve this, the squadrons that had not originally been part of the central Alliance Fleet Command were largely broken up and their ships and crews sent to different units. This provoked a degree of resistance, but on the whole Defense Force integration proceeded quickly. By 8 ABY, the New Republic First Fleet guarded Coruscant as the Home Fleet, while the Second defended Elom, the Third, Kashyyyk and the Fourth, Bothan Space. This arrangement fought in the Thrawn campaign, the Imperial advance out of the Deep Core, and Operation Shadow Hand.[2]

By 12 ABY the battle group and squadron forces met standards for strength, unity and discipline, allowing a more sweeping military reform. The New Republic Army, which had suffered heavy casualties in Operation Shadow Hand, was abolished, with its defense and garrison responsibilities transferred to the local Planetary Security Forces, and all federal military forces were placed under the four fleet commands as part of a integrated Defense Force. Naval battle groups became subcommands with defined sectors of operations, with large forces blockading the main Imperial holdouts and smaller squadrons assigned to peacekeeping patrols inside New Republic territory. One battle group in each fleet served as a mobile reserve, but temporary attachments of multi-role task forces—standardized squadrons built around a mix of vessels with complementary capabilities—could turn each battle group into a powerful fighting fleet.[2]